Women and girls in northern Colorado are changing the landscape of what used to be a male-dominated sport: rodeo. Barrel racing, a rodeo event that traces its origin from exhibition performances in rodeos in the 1930s, is becoming popular among women and girls. Across northern Colorado, women and girls of all ages participate in many barrel racing events for cash prizes and prestige.

Beyond competition, participants in these events testify that barrel racing offers life lessons unique to the sport. Mary Rushton, a barrel racer and coach who participated in the TWP Barrel Race in Longmont, Colorado, in April, said she was amazed at how the girls she coached were learning confidence and consistently improving how they controlled their horses. Another participant, Amy Smith, added that she supports the young barrel racers and wants them to become responsible community members with good morals and ethics.

The fastest rider to race her horse around three barrels without knocking them down wins the contest in barrel racing. In June, the book “The History of Barrel Racing in Professional Rodeo” was launched at the Overland Trail Museum in Sterling, Colorado. The author, Gail Woerner, said barrel racing used to be an added attraction in rodeo events in the early 1930s. Back then, “sponsor girls” rode horses around barrels in the arena. What began as an exhibition to beef up the business side of rodeo became a mainstay racing event in rodeos, known today as barrel racing, Woerner added.